Dr. Boyce Watkins has unleashed a fascinating editorial for NewsOne.com on the horrific Penn State scandal, posing some thought-provoking questions regarding the factor of race in the actions of Jerry Sandusky and Penn State.

In light of the media’s use of language like “underprivileged” and “at-risk” to describe the victims, Dr. Watkins wonders if a majority of these young boys were African American, and if that played some role in the University’s response to Jerry Sandusky’s behavior.

She also poses a few other important questions that illuminate the largely ignored racial factors that may have played (and continue to play) a role in the Penn State sex abuse scandal.

On the race of the victims:

“The fact that the children might have been Black boys doesn’t make the scandal any worse than it already is. But it does create a heightened reaction from a community that is sick of seeing Black men victimized in far too many walks of life. It also leads some to wonder if race played a role in Sandusky’s fetishes, or the tone of the university’s response”

Now this may seem like eyebrow-raising news, but perhaps not. Busta’s had a pretty phenomenal year, mainly because of his showstealing appearance on Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now.” He may be kinda old, but he can still rap circles around these youngins! I think a deal with Cash Money is a perfect way for him to remain relevant in today’s fast-moving, youth-oriented industry.

In honor of his late-career renaissance, check out Busta’s CLASSIC “Woo Hah! (Got You All In Check)” video below:

Several are complaining that Quanell X took money from them for services that were either never rendered or unsatisfactory. While this raises questions about his authenticity as a viable community leader, we must also question what we require from our leaders and what we owe them in return.

I work at the Chicago House and Social Service Agency as an intern for my masters. At this placement I teach students that have been impacted by poverty, HIV/AIDS, an educational crisis and other systemic issues. I have been notified that in this environment many of the students have been diagnosed with learning, behavioral, and emotional disorders. And the majority of them have particularly been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder). Many questions surface when working in this agency. Questions like: Are there any other solutions to the symptoms of ADHD that can be enacted without the use of medication? What is the balance between biology and environment when locating the cause attention deficient and hyperactivity? And finally, are attention deficient and hyperactivity ever confused for what is natural in cognitive and psychological development? These questions will be examined throughout this paper and an evidenced based practice will be offered as a possible method to decrease the high rates in ADHD diagnosis among young black impoverished males.

With all the talk and speculation over the unfolding scandal at Penn State involving Jerry Sandusky, it seems that another PSU scandal is finally starting to get some attention as well.

Around the same time period as the University’s initial cover-up of Sandusky’s alleged transgressions, Black Penn State students were receiving very aggressive and very sincere hate mail. Eventually the hate mail became death threats, culminating in the discovery of a Black man’s dead body near campus.

Students feared for their lives on a daily basis; even at graduation. And the University did nothing.

At my high school, the newly formed “Young Feminists Society” has become the latest joke in the hallways. The level of social acceptance for sexism, girl hate, and anti feminism blows my mind. A freshman boy labeled it “Young Dyke’s Club.” A freshman had the nerve to cross a senior girl with a self-declared superiority and sense of male entitlement.

The Black Students’ Association doesn’t hear slurs about being niggers, nor are the kids in our LGBT group called faggots. I know that these words are used in high schools around the country. But, what I also know is that when they are heard, there are problems. Big problems. Principles are called and people recognize this as hateful language.

About The Black Youth Project

The Black Youth Project examines the attitudes, resources and culture of the young black millennials.

We have three core areas of focus: knowledge, voice, and action. Knowledge is the research we perform on Black millennials ages 18-35. Voice is the high-quality news and opinions written by Black millennials on this platform. Action is the work done through our sister organization BYP100.